RETAIL: Look to our neighbours

I cannot help but feel a little sad as Alnwick marches onward as a ‘honey pot’ destination.

The rural catchment area for Alnwick is not well served by public transport, therefore we need to provide for hybrid and electric vehicles.

Social housing is desperately needed so that workers in the leisure sector have somewhere truly affordable to live.

We are an aging population and I see the housing developments snapped up by retirees, holiday home owners and commuters.

Meanwhile, before rushing headlong into pedestriansation, we might look at two of our neighbours.

Amble can sustain events in the square and has opted for a central one-way street system.

Ashington has split the main shopping street, with one side for parking and the other for pedestrians.

Surely this is food for thought before we lose our individual retailers that the visitors find so attractive.

Having lived in various parts of the UK, I have observed that not all pedestrianisation schemes are successful in the long-term.

Eileen Woodward,

Haven Meadows,

Shilbottle